The Kiss
by FearIsASuperpower
Summary: The date went catastrophic and Clara and Danny are both feeling guilty, so Clara decides to pay him a visit. A fic that describes what happens leading up to the kiss and after in the episode Listen. One shot. Rating K Please review!


**Hello! This idea sprung to my mind shortly after watching Listen. It's my interpretation of what happens when Clara goes over to Danny's place and what happens before and after the kiss. Please do leave a review, I'd really appreciate it c:**

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Clara watches as the TARDIS drifts away in front of her. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest. She's nervous to say the least. Perhaps that is an understatement. She peers up at the property that stands confident in front of her. She can only hope the man inside is the same. Walking nervously up to the door, her heels clicking against the stone floor; echoing against the silence of the late night.  
Her hand raises for the doorbell but she can't seem to press it. What is it all goes wrong? What if he's angry at her? What if this visit will make working at Coalhill with him be an awkward experience for the rest of their careers?  
Her hands shake over the doorbell button. But if she leaves things on bad terms nothing will get better. She needs a conversation at least so she can hopefully sort things out. He's a beautiful man and Clara would be honoured to name him her boyfriend so the least she can do is try. Forcing a deep breath she presses down on the button and hears a faint bell sound from inside. That's it. No turning back.

Danny Pink jolts awake from his frozen mental state of reliving moments of the date tonight while slumped on the sofa. Clara returned to him on the date so why didn't he do the same? She probably hates him now, he considers while screwing his eyes shut for a brief moment once more.  
He didn't expect it to arrive so quickly he thought to himself. He only phoned twenty minutes ago. With a sigh he drags his guilt ridden body to his feet and makes his way to the front door. Tired, he pushes down on the door knob and opens the door.

It takes all of his will power not to gasp when he sees the beautiful tiny woman that he argued with just a few hours earlier. He notices her face; a poker face. But her eyes, filled with worry. A part of him tears inside. He has caused this and he feels terrible.  
"I'm so-"  
"I know." Clara finishes for him. She lets out a tiny smile, testing him. He smiles back.  
They stare till it becomes awkward visibly for Clara and Danny shakes his head.  
"Come in." he blurts out soon after regretting of how forward it sounded. "Er-well, if you want to."  
"I'd like to." her voice is quiet, though sure of herself. He nods and moves aside to let her in.

She begins to calm at that point as she walks in. He isn't angry at her and neither is she at him. This only comes as relief.  
"Nice place." She says casually, noticing the laminate flooring and the paintings scattered across the walls.  
"They're old favourites of mine. The art I mean. They're quite symbolic." He says closing the door and rushing to her side.  
"What do you mean?" She quizzes.  
"The paintings. I mean to anyone they're random splodges of paint but to others they have meaning."  
Clara stares at one directly infront of her. It's black and grey. Danny points at it and continues. "This one looks boring but see the darkness? The black, it's empty. But the grey next to it, that is a light, that is something there, or is it? The dark has nothing in it for me. The dark is the dark. Nothing is there. All fears are imagined, over thought or worried about which is what makes them bad."

Clara all of a sudden is thrown back a little by his words. A flashback appears in her mind; Danny as a terrified child at the childrooms home, scared of the dark and whats under the bed. But now he suggests there is nothing there and he's not afraid. Her visit really has made a difference. She smiles. Staring at the boring painting but Danny is right, it does have meaning.  
"Blimey, forget maths, you should be an art teacher!"  
"Sorry, I'm rambling." He shakes his head.  
"Maybe drifting a little, yeah!" she nods, smiling.  
"I do that when I'm nervous. Wine?" he asks.  
"Too formal! I can't deal with formal right now. How about tea? Be a bit more cosy." She suggests. Leaning against the wall gently, smiling when he peers down at her. His eyes glimmer and he smiles deeply.  
"Tea it is." and with that he disappears.

Clara takes off her heels and leaves them neatly by the door. Walking though a flat you've never been before should make someone feel cautious but somehow Clara feels comfortable and relaxed. To Danny, Clara is a stranger but to Clara, she feels as if she has known Danny for a long time now. Especially after meeting a childhood him earlier today.  
Clara walks in Danny's direction to the kitchen.

"Cosy." Danny repeats Claras words to himself while collecting tea bags from the cupboard and filling up the kettle with water to boil. "Cosy."  
He places the kettle down and sets it to boil. "Cosy tea. Cosy company. Cosy-"  
"I take it you want it to be cosy?" Clara announces, giggling. She is leaning against the door frame to the kitchen. Danny screws up his eyes and sighs with embarrassment.  
"You've got to stop doing that!"  
"You've got to stop talking to yourself!" she tells him. Altering her pose against the doorframe when she notices Danny is staring, smiling. "Anyway, I'm small so at times it's kind of impossible to not sneak up on people." she adds, folding her arms. Danny laughs. Still staring.  
"I like your height." He says quietly.  
"Well, that's a start."  
Danny doesn't reply. He just continues to stare at her without realisation, in an admiration of Clara. She raises her eyebrow and hears the kettle ping with the water being boiled. Danny doesn't move. Eyes still locked on her.  
"So was Courtney right? Is my face so wide that you can't concentrate? On your tea making that is." She jokes.  
Danny snaps out of his trance immediately and grabs the kettle.  
"Sorry." He doesn't look at her, ashamed. Clara giggles.  
"Shall I wait in the living room?"  
"Yeah, just back there on your right."  
He was expecting to hear loud clicks of her heels against the laminate flooring as she made her way to the living room, but a quick glance of her and he noticed she has taken off her heels. She wasn't planning on leaving any time soon.

Hitting himself on the forhead Danny scalds himself quietly but angrily.  
"Don't mess this up." He tells himself while adding the milk and sugar to the mugs of tea. Calming his shaking hands, he picks up the mugs and with a deep breath, steadily walks into the living room.

Clara hears him walking towards him and is nervous but surprisingly calm. It's evident how he feels about her. He is shy so won't admit it so Clara knows how she is going to play this.  
"Here's your tea, as by request." Danny says. Clara almost jumps as she is interrupted by her thoughts. He hands her the mug carefully.  
"Thank you, Mr Pink." Clara takes a sip. "Perfect. Wait, how do you know I take two sugars?" She queries.  
Danny freezes as he is half way in sitting down on the sofa next to her. A surprised look on his face.  
"Er-"  
"Danny?"  
"I saw you earlier in the day before we were introduced...and Er- you made tea." He reveals quickly.  
"Got a keen eye this one(!)" Clara nods in his direction before taking another sip. There's a silence before Clara decides to break it.

"So...this is nice."  
"Yeah. I've lived here for a year now. Could have a nicer place but I do keep it clean. I can't handle mess."  
"Good. Nicer than my place anyway."  
"Come on, I'm sure thats not true." He tells her. Clara shakes her head and laughs.  
"You'll have to see it sometime and decide!"  
"Yeah." Danny smiles. Clara realises she's invited him by accident and almost curses but she realises she'd love to invite him round.  
"Well, just like to say you've certainly got that foot out if your mouth from earlier. Your words are back!" She raises her eyebrow as she hides her mouth behind her mug and takes a sip of the tea. Danny sighs and his face drops.  
"Clara I'm so sorry about the restaurant. I- I don't know. The soldier thing it's just a really sensitive subject." He looks down at the tea mug he placed in his lap.  
"No, Danny, don't be sorry. I should have guessed it would be a sensitive subject. I'm the one who's sorry." Clara apologises while noticing Danny looking down, guilty. Clara places her mug down and moves herself closer to Danny to place a hand on his arm, gently rubbing it."Hey, come on. Don't worry about the date. It's done with. Gone. Forgotten."  
Danny closes his eyes.  
"I always mess up dates. I say the wrong thing, I take things to seriously and regret it. I just don't know what to do or say half the time and just...get afraid." His voice is shaky.  
"Danny. It's fine. That happens to me too. I'm glad we are here together, now though, having this conversation and sorting this out."  
Danny looks up at her. Straight into her big glimmering eyes and smiles.  
"Yes. I'm glad too. Cosy."

He is afraid. Afraid he has messed up his one chance of getting to be with her. But if he has, why has she come round?

She is afraid. But she has to try. She likes him. And she is pretty sure he does too. He is too nervous to do anything so this is down to Clara. Anyway, what could possibly go wrong? Well, a lot in this case but she can't let that put her off. One chance.

"Okay right. Lets forget the restaurant and start afresh." Clara says loudly, confident.  
"Yes, yes okay. Right fresh." Danny nods.  
"Good, yeah. Fresh." She says, unsure on what to reply. Danny shakes his head and sighs.  
"I just get nervous." He says casually.  
"Me too." She says quietly, nodding.  
"I don't even know what I'm nervous of."

Clara reaches out and takes Danny's mug from his hand.  
"I'll show you." she says quietly, but confident, despite nerves clearly evident in her voice. She places his mug down and looks up at him.  
Danny looks confused, dazed.

This is it. Clara shuffles to face him, tucking her legs underneath her knees.

Her hand goes to rest lightly on his right shoulder and she leans in, angled slightly towards him. Their lips connect.

Danny is shocked at first, the build up was slow so he knew it was coming but he just can't comprehend it. Clara is right, this is what he is afraid of.

It feels magical. His left hand moved to cup her round, smooth face ad he kisses her back deeply. Eyes closed, they both embrace the moment; the kiss light, long and perfect. She leans back and their lips part.

He is two dazed to speak to her, to even smile or give a reaction. He is frozen as he exhales heavily.

Clara smiles at him. Brushes her face against the touch of Danny's hand cupping her face. Her teeth come to bite her lip as she stares at him. Still so close to each other.

"Afraid now?" She teases, staring deeply into his eyes whilst raising an eyebrow. Danny snaps out of his state as his head draws back as he laughs.  
"Not at all." He announces confidently and he leans in again.  
Their lips crash, faster this time. Smooth. Hard. But still so romantic. Short breaths and they're in for more. Never wanting to end. They giggle and their lips combine again and-  
DING DONG!  
They freeze. And Clara leans back to stare at him. Danny's face screws up.  
"I ordered pizza." He tells her, cringing. "Sorry, I just ordered it before you arrived as I hadn't eaten. You know, we planned to eat at the restaurant but didn't."  
Clara smiles, arms still around his neck. "Mr Pink, you promised dinner."  
"Pizza it is then."  
Danny got to his feet and walked over to the door. Opening it, he paid the young looking man and retrieved the pizza.

Returning to the sofa Clara looked up at him to notice he had ordered a family size margarita pizza.  
"Blimey were you planning to eat all that for yourself?" Clara asked.  
Danny shrugs. "They had an offer on."  
Clara laughs. "Such a maths teacher."

He slumps back on the sofa and throws his arm around Clara. She takes this and leans into his arms as her feet come off the floor to rest slightly tucked underneath her as she cuddles up to Danny. He opens up the pizza on his lap and they both take a slice each, carefully.  
"This is perfect." Danny tells her and she looks up at him as they briefly kiss again.  
"Definitely." She says lightly. There is nothing but smiles today from the pair.

After eating and throwing the left overs in the box onto the nearby table, they stay in the same position for a good fifteen minutes. Danny's arm around Clara, her resting against him.

They didn't need to speak to each other. Clara listened to Danny's calm heart, beating lightly in his chest; peaceful as he stroked her hair and cheek. Danny couldn't think of a more perfect night. Clara couldn't either. Sometimes a peaceful night with someone you care about beats the dangerous adventure of time travel among the stars.

"Hey you were right." Clara whispers. Breaking the peaceful silence.  
"About what?" Danny asks curiously while Clara feels the vibrations radiating from his chest as he speaks.  
"What you said earlier. 'All fears are imagined, over thought or worried about which is what makes them bad.' We just both needed to believe that."  
"Yeah." He says with a breath, kissing the top of her head lightly. Clara closes her eyes and adjusts her head position to get more comfortable in his arms.  
"Cozlsy." She whispers while smiling, letting out an exhale, heavily, tired.  
"Cosy." He confirms, pulling her tighter to him and he embraces the moment of a start of a perfect relationship by closing his eyes.

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**Thank you for reading. Please leave a review. I'd love to know your thoughts c:**


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